text:
Early Galaxy S10 rumors have suggested that Samsung might switch to a different name for its next flagship smartphone. Since it launched the Galaxy S9 this year, one would expect next year's model to be called the Galaxy S10. However, rumors claim that this may not be the case, and now Samsung itself has confirmed those rumors.
Galaxy S10 rumors
Speaking to reporters at the Mobile World Congress 2018, the head of Samsung's mobile division DJ Koh said that it's a possibility that Samsung might not use the existing naming scheme for its next Galaxy S flagship device which is currently being referred to as the Galaxy S10 in the press.
This isn't the first time we're hearing this possibility but Samsung had never commented on it previously or any other Galaxy S10 rumors for that matter. This is the first acknowledgment, albeit a brief one, that Samsung is open to switching the naming convention for its Galaxy S flagship handsets next year.
When asked if the company has any plans to change the naming of the Galaxy Galaxy S model, Koh said that while Samsung will stick to the Galaxy brand, it has been thinking about “whether we need to maintain the S moniker or the numbering system.”
A recent rumor from an unverified source claimed that Samsung's flagship S series could be called Galaxy X from next year. Koh's comments echo this possibility as Samsung seems to be mulling either keeping the “S” moniker or the number. Whatever it ends up deciding, Samsung will stick with the Galaxy branding for next year's flagship smartphone.
It goes without saying that we'll hear countless Galaxy S10 rumors in the coming months. The next flagship smartphone from Samsung isn't due for another year at least so it's very soon to be sure about what it's going to be called and what it's going to offer.
What do you think should be the name of Samsung's next flagship smartphone? Let us know your suggestions in the comments below.


text:
How To Watch Apple's One More Thing Livestream Event And What To Expect
This entry was posted on November 10, 2020.
Following a couple of launch events over the past two months, Apple still has one more thing to share before calling it a wrap for 2020. Whatever that might be, it will go down today during Apple's appropriately titled "One More Thing" event. And golly gee, whatever could that one additional thing be? We are completely and utterly stumped! (Quick, someone cue Borat's "Not!" sound byte)
This is a bit of a big moment for Apple, more so than its usual product announcements. For about the past 15 years, Apple has been using Intel's x86 CPUs inside its desktops and laptops, after making the switch from IBM PowerPC hardware. Now it is embarking on a two-year transition to custom "Apple Silicon" based on Arm.
Apple announced the transition plan in June, saying at the time that it will "establish a common architecture across all Apple products, making it far easier for developers to write and optimize their apps for the entire ecosystem."
Using its own silicon inside its iPhone and iPad products has worked out well, but questions loom over the decision to make this kind of shift in its laptops and even its professional desktops (Mac Pro). From Apple's vantage point, its upcoming family of SoCs "will give the Mac industry-leading performance per watt and higher performance GPUs—enabling app developers to write even more powerful pro apps and high-end games."
Needless to say, Apple is confident in its decision. And rumor has it today's event will see the unveiling of an entry-level 12-inch MacBook or a revised 13-inch MacBook Pro powered by a variant of Apple's A14X Bionic chip. This is said to be an 8-core processor, followed by a desktop variant next year—A14T Bionic—with possibly 12 cores, including 4 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores.
In any event, for better or worse, the journey officially begins today.

domain: news


text:
Disney Playmation Puts the Power in Kids’ Hands, Literally
Before we begin, yes, Virginia, there will be a Black Widow figure as part of the Disney Playmation series.
Announced yesterday, Hasbro and Disney have teamed for a new set of role-play toys for kids dubbed Disney Playmation. The toys combine wearable accessories with figures that interact with one another, and put the kids right in the action with heroes like Captain America, Iron Man and the Hulk. Of course, Disney has much more in mind for the upcoming playsets, including Star Wars and Frozen, but the Avengers-themed collection will be hitting stores first this year.
Playmation was born out of a recent study Disney commissioned, where the company learned parents were nostalgic for the way they used to play when they were younger. New parents wanted their kids to be more active and use their imaginations (like they used to with the stick and hoop), but also recognized that technology was an important part of growing up today. Most importantly, the third-party study revealed nine out of ten parents were keen on the idea of new tech that could keep their kids active. With those results in mind, a team of Disney technologists, Imagineers and storytellers got to work in developing what would eventually become Playmation.
First up for Playmation will be the Marvel's Avengers Playmation Starter Pack, which includes one piece of Avengers gear (Iron Man's repulsor), two Power Activators (the interactive base) and two Smart Figures (Captain America and Iron Skull, a revamped Red Skull). Once you strap on the repulsor and turn it on, JARVIS starts talking through the wearable getting you started on your adventure. Using the wearables, wireless technology and the smart toys, Playmation creates adventures for kids to take part in across the Marvel Universe, including Avengers tower or Wakanda. The devices aren't tied to a wifi connection, so they can be taken anywhere, and you can sync multiple sets for multiplayer action.
Now none of the footage shown so far really shows off just what Playmation can do, but based on some of the reports from the reveal event, it sounds like Playmation will be a more elaborate version of laser tag. It also sounds a lot like a more interactive version of Captain Power. Those are not necessarily bad things, by the way. The scope with Playmation appears to be much grander in scale, as Disney is also releasing a companion mobile app, AvengersNet, to offer even more functionality. AvengersNet will offer the ability to upload and compare scores, and relay new missions and characters to the playset for continued adventures.
Additional figures will be released to tie into the Avengers Playmation set as well, including MODOK, Falcon, Black Widow, Ultron and Loki, to name a few. For the first year, the Avengers will be the primary focus for Playmation, but Star Wars and Frozen sets are already in the works for 2016 and 2017 respectively. There's no word on whether or not the sets will be cross-compatible at the moment, but one would hope that there would be a little bit of crossover allowed. Then again, if recent developments in the video game market (ie Disney Infinity) are any indication, Playmation isn't likely to be compatible with sets outside of a particular brand.
The Playmation Marvel's Avengers Starter Pack is due to arrive in October. Pre-orders will begin at select retailers and the Disney Store on July 7. The first pack is set to retail for $119.99, which is a substantial investment. There's not much info on what the individual figures will cost, nor what additional equipment like the Prowler Bot will run you (let alone what it does). It would be nice to know what the full product rollout will be, especially in regards to additional wearables being sold separately. There is a set of Hulk hands in the works, and hopefully you won't have to drop another $120 if you have more than one child.
Playmation is aimed squarely at kids ages 6-11, and knowing what I know about kids in that age range and their love of the current crop of role-play accessories, Playmation could be a fairly big hit for Hasbro and Disney this year. And then again next year with Star Wars, and then again the year after with Frozen. We already know there'll be plenty of Star Wars hype through 2016, but the 2017 release for the Frozen set may also hint that the sequel to the smash animated hit will arrive that year, and not in 2018. With that in mind, we hope that the subsequent releases don't lead to a lack of support for the Avengers set as time goes on.


text:
- The 30-second video touches on key differentiators for the upcoming
- Hyundai will show IONIQ 5 for the first time in early 2021 - the first car to sit on the recently unveiled E-GMP
Based on Hyundai’s ‘45’ EV concept, IONIQ 5 will be the first car mated with the recently revealed Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), a dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) architecture.
The 30-second video, titled ‘The New Horizon of EV,’ takes inspiration from the all-new IONIQ 5’s yet-to-be-revealed design details, showing pixels and dots converging in a white space representative of a new era of EV.
The teaser aims to build anticipation and spark curiosity about IONIQ 5 by emphasizing three ‘extras’ to be offered by the all-new model. ‘Extra Power for Life’ calls attention to IONIQ 5’s vehicle-to-load (V2L) bi-directional charging capability. ‘Extra Time for You’ highlights its fast-charging capability. ‘Extraordinary Experiences’ hints at the BEV’s soon-to-be-announced array of features.
The video’s release follows Hyundai’s announcement, made in August 2020, that it will launch a dedicated BEV lineup brand IONIQ in its bid to become one of the world’s top EV manufacturers. Under IONIQ, Hyundai will launch a range of EVs, including IONIQ 5, a midsize CUV in early 2021; IONIQ 6, a sedan; followed by IONIQ 7, a large SUV.
To facilitate its EV plans, Hyundai Motor Group recently unveiled E-GMP, the architecture that will underpin all of its new dedicated BEVs. The platform offers increased development flexibility, powerful driving performance, increased driving range, strengthened safety features, and more interior space for occupants and luggage.


text:
Have you ever heard the phrase "when it rains, it pours?" Well, at NVIDIA HQ, they like to make it storm. Those guys don't know about a little thing called "subtlety," nor do I think they care. They're like "oh, we want to announce something? Let's just save it up and do it all at once." So that's what they did. I like their style.
Here we go.
First off - and maybe most importantly - the Lollipop update is coming for SHIELD Tablet. We already knew that, but now we know when: November 18th. That's less than a week away. NVIDIA has been doing work, son.
The company also announced some changes to its GRID gaming service. It's moving GRID into public beta, which will be available for free for SHIELD Tablet owners until June 30th, 2015. They're also promising new games every week. Speaking of SHIELD Games, NVIDIA is also bringing yet another killer Valve title to SHIELD Tablet: Half-Life 2: Episode One.
Users who buy the 32GB SHIELD Tablet will get HL2:E1 for free as part of NVIDIA's "Green Box" bundle, which also includes Half-Life 2 and Portal - both of which are exclusive to SHIELD Portable and Tablet. That's a solid deal for new ST owners...unfortunately, it's not one that existing users can take advantage of. Sorry, guys, but that's how it goes.
There are three other games hitting ST, as well:
- OddWorld: Stranger's Wrath
- Pure Pool
- Strike Suit Zero
Aside from that, Dabbler is getting a makeover to go along with Lollipop, which brings even more features. SHIELD Hub is also getting a Material makeover, as well as GRID integration baked in.
So there you go, lots of news for SHIELD Tablet owners. Look for Lollipop later this week, and other new SHIELD goodies shortly thereafter. Good stuff.


text:
On March 5, 2013, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible will make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show.
Read This Article
GM adds the eight-speed automatic transmission to new models.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced it has opened an investigation on model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV and MY 2007 Toyota Camry sedan and RAV4 crossover.
With its little 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, the Chevrolet Sonic manages 40 mpg on the highway and 29 mpg in town.


text:
In 1775, all-American patriot Patrick Henry helped spur on a revolution with his famous speech that included the quote “Give me liberty or give me death!” 239 years later, another American patriot has come up with his own version of this creed: “I will give away my privacy for utility.” Barron’s reports that Rackspace startup liaison officer and notorious Google Glass fan Robert Scoble told a panel at SXSW this week that he no longer thinks maintaining his privacy is nearly as important as it used to be if it means having access to all of the great services now available through mobile devices and wearable computers.
“If you had told me 15 years ago or so, when SXSW started, that I would give up access to my email and such to a third party, I would have said that’s crazy,” Scoble told the panel before adding that he’s now “all in” and “will give away my privacy for utility.”
Scoble said that he’s particularly excited about all of the sensors that are now being built into our gadgets that can keep track of our fitness activities, our location and the temperature and humidity in our homes.
“Numbers of sensors on us and around us are going way, way up,” Scoble said. “It’s changing how we communicate with our door locks and everything else. And it’s too the point where ordinary people can afford it. It’s the first year I felt I could do my own home automation without being a nerd.”
Whether “ordinary people” will share Scoble’s enthusiasm for giving away their privacy remains to be seen, however.


text:
Submitted by ANGELA PASCOPELLA on Wed, 02/29/2012 - 2:25pm
Public schools throughout the country are not harmed by school choice programs as most of their costs are flexible and can change with student enrollment, according to a new report issued by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.
Submitted by Judy Hartnett on Sun, 02/26/2012 - 9:39am
Colleges and universities have historically obscured their tuition costs in a way that makes comparative shopping virtually impossible. And far too little information is available on graduation rates and loan default rates to help students choose wisely.
Submitted by ANGELA PASCOPELLA on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 4:18pm
A New York City charter school network has told parents that it is a victim of theft by “a senior member of the finance and operations department,” who it said used the network’s credit card to spend tens of thousands of dollars on personal items.


text:
Industrial Supply names new VP of finance
Michelle Lakin joined Industrial Supply in 2015.
Industrial Supply Company, the largest privately held supply and tool distributor in the Intermountain West (see the Contractor Supply profile here), has announced that Michelle Lakin has been promoted to the position of Vice President of Finance for the company.
“I am very grateful to Michelle for the expertise, hard work, and intelligent support she brings to Industrial Supply,” said Chris Bateman, Industrial Supply’s Chief Executive Officer. “We appreciate the added strength Michelle will bring to our team.”
Lakin began her career with Industrial Supply in 2015. Prior to joining the company, she obtained her CPA license and spent almost five years with a local CPA firm. Lakin has worked for several years in various industries such as manufacturing, software development, and government.
She received both her Bachelor's degree and Master's degree in Accounting at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.
“I greatly appreciate having the opportunity to work alongside such outstanding, hardworking individuals,” said Lakin. “I look forward to remaining focused on our customer's needs, as well as encouraging our employees to go above and beyond."
Industrial Supply Company has served the construction, manufacturing, mining, government and industrial community since 1916. This Utah-based maintenance, repair and operational (MRO) distributor has eight locations in the Intermountain West, which serve Wyoming, Nevada, Utah and surrounding areas.
In addition to supplies, Industrial Supply also offers customized services that enable customers to increase productivity and manage their inventory. These services include product specialist reviews, vendor management inventory (VMI), safety training, storage and shelving design and tool repair.
Visit www.indsupply.com for more information.


text:
Pontoon manufacturer Premier Marine introduced five new models at its recent dealer meeting.
Seventy models were on display for more than 450 attendees, including the Velocity, Escalante, Encounter, Dodici and SunSation Echo RF, which are new for model year 2016.
“Our biggest and best dealer meeting ever was a resounding success,” Premier president Lori Melbostad said in a statement. “It was a high-energy weekend that made our staff proud to know that we have such a loyal network of dealers who were so excited to see what Premier has in store for 2016.”
The Premier Marine Dealer Meeting and 2016 Product Showcase — covering the Premier, Palm Beach, Weeres and Leisure pontoon brands — was held Aug. 2-4 at Treasure Island Resort and Casino in Red Wing, Minn.
In other news, the company said it hired Steve Harbaugh as a new regional sales representative for the Weeres brand.
“Steve comes to us with a wealth of marine-industry sales experience,” Premier national sales manager Randy Stambaugh said in a statement. “He’ll be an exceptional addition to the Premier Marine family.”


text:
National Harbor, Md. — Higher prices for recycled resin, relative to virgin plastics, are here to stay, according to a longtime observer of the materials market.
And Joel Morales, executive director of polyolefins Americas for IHS Markit, an information and analytics firm, expects recycled resin to be priced more independently from the virgin market moving forward.
"We have seen [recycled material] accelerate at a much higher level than virgin here since the pandemic. And frankly, it's demand-driven. The demand for post-consumer recycled [content] from brand owners not only in North America but other parts of the world has been really high and the market has really taken off," Morales said at the recent Plastics Recycling Conference in National Harbor.
"For recyclers, I think the news is good going forward because we're going to have a higher price forecast for crude for this year, for next year. Imports of resin will be expensive for this year and next year, which means resin prices, even though there's more supply coming, they will be higher than you think, which should support recycled prices for the foreseeable future. So that's good news," Morales said.
Morales told the conference crowd that he expects demand from brand owners, including many that have set recycled resin utilization goals tied to 2025, to continue.
"For those who are expecting PCR [post-consumer resin demand] to go back to where it was pre-COVID, I would say you would need significant demand destruction or you need significant supply to pop up pretty quickly. And I don't see either one of those coming. Now if we have a global recession again and there's pressure from brand owners to cut costs, that could change things. But I would budget significant premiums over virgin for PCR," he said.
"Going forward, we don't see one-for-one relationships between recycled and virgin. As we see more brand owners putting value onto the recycled component, we would not expect it to move one for one, but we would expect it to trend together, just not one for one," Morales said.
Roxanne Spiekerman is the vice president of business development at plastics recycler PreZero US and board chair of the Association of Plastic Recyclers. During some comments before Morales spoke, she said a variety of circumstances is driving higher pricing for post-consumer resin.
"You know that there is demand for it. Either you have to use it because it's required or you want to use it because the demand is there," she told the conference. "Another thing that's happened with post-consumer is that the quality and the performance has increased drastically so you can use it in higher volumes.
"Because of the demand increase and performance of post-consumer, not only does this have a potential impact on the virgin resin market, but at some point, it does have strong potential to displace a portion of the market," Spiekerman said.
"You know that in any normal year, whatever 'normal' means, that we are subject to extreme material volatility. That's just the way of our world, right? But 2021 was not normal by any means," she added.
The pandemic as well as inclement weather last year combined with new challenges this year, such as global strife, increased sustainability objectives, legislation and regulation, influence the recycled resin market, Spiekerman said.
The higher pricing trend for both recycled and virgin resin is coming at a time where demand continues to be strong.
"What we've seen in the last couple of years has been nothing short of amazing for polymer consumption. So demand for polyethylene and polypropylene in '21 grew roughly at 9 percent, which is the best we've seen since 2010 at a time when price just keep going up," Morales said.
"Last year, there was no demand destruction because of price. Amazing," he said.


text:
Effective immediately, Wu will take on the role of CEO for Taobao and Tmall, which are at the heart of Alibaba’s Chinese online retail operations. This expansion of Wu’s responsibilities follows his current positions as the group’s chief and CEO of the cloud computing and artificial intelligence division. Wu assumed these roles in September, disrupting a succession plan that involved former CEO Daniel Zhang leading the high-tech arm.
After a challenging year, Alibaba is once again turning to restructuring. This time, Wu’s appointment as the head of Taobao and Tmall signals a significant step for the company. In March, Alibaba previously announced its decision to transform from a conglomerate to a holding company in order to create more value for shareholders.
Wu’s elevation within Alibaba has been a series of notable achievements. However, in November, the company had to revise its restructuring plans due to the cancellation of the highly anticipated spinoff of its cloud division. This decision was made in response to U.S. export controls on advanced chips.
With these latest changes, Alibaba aims to strengthen its position in the highly competitive e-commerce market while adapting to evolving business dynamics. This reorganization solidifies Wu’s role as a key figure in propelling Alibaba forward.
Alibaba’s Restructuring Plans and Management Changes
A Challenging Year with Growing Competition
Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, has faced a challenging year due to an economic slowdown and weakening consumer demand in China. As a result, the company’s core retail business has been losing market share to lower-cost rivals, with PDD recently surpassing Alibaba as China’s most valuable e-commerce company.
Focusing on Strengths and Revitalizing the Company
In an effort to revitalize the company, Eddie Wu has been appointed as the group CEO, AliCloud CEO, and Taobao Tmall CEO. This restructuring signifies Alibaba’s intention to return to its roots by prioritizing its technology and ecosystem to support businesses. Analyst Alicia Yap from Citi believes that Alibaba may make further management changes in response to the dynamic competition and evolving operational environment.
Returning to Online Retail Operations
Wu’s increased control over Taobao and Tmall reflects Alibaba’s renewed focus on its online retail operations, which continue to be the primary revenue drivers for the company.
Despite these changes, investors initially showed dissatisfaction, causing Alibaba’s stock to decline by 1.1% in U.S. premarket trading on Wednesday. This decline was in line with similar decreases seen across industry peers, such as JD.com whose stock slipped by 1.5%.


text:
Highest standards crucial, says Lochhead – Fishupdate.com
Highest standards crucial, says Lochhead Published: 21 September, 2007
Scottish Fisheries Minister, Richard Lochhead
SCOTTISH Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead today underlined the need for the highest possible standards in the seafood sector.And he said there is a “huge opportunity” for the new Scottish Government to ensure that fish and seafood is at the heart of food strategy.
Mr Lochhead was in Aberdeen to present awards to seafood companies for their commitment to staff training and development .
He gave the awards at a ceremony at the city’s Ashvale Restaurant on behalf of the Scottish Seafood Training Association (SSTA) and he underlined that in order to have a sustainable seafood sector in Scotland, they must ensure that compliance with safety and hygiene is a top priority.
“The SSTA have been committed to the training and development of staff for many years and I am pleased to recognise on their behalf those companies who share their vision,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Minister said that fishing is 10 times more important in Scotland than the rest of th UK.
“It is of huge economic importance and Scotland has a fantastic reputation for producing food which can be trusted.
“We are absolutely determined to start promoting much more Scotland’s contribution to producing food.
“The food agenda is extremely important to Scotland because people want to source local food, fresh food and healthy food and seafood produce qualifies under all these headings and of course this is becoming really important internatonally as well.And I think there is a tremendous opportunity for the new Government to make sure that fish and seafood are at the heart of food strategy and food policy.”
The Scottish Seafood Training Association (SSTA) is one of the Group Training Associations (GTAs) provided by the Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish).
The SSTA works to assist and support companies in complying with health and safety, hygiene and other regulations that affect the seafood industry. This is achieved by organising a wide range of training courses on topics such as health and safety, hygiene, forklift training, filleting, smoking, first aid etc. They can also supply a wide range of flexible open learning modules and additional material such as videos and flexible training materials are also available.
Today’s recipients of certificates for outstanding contribution to staff training with the seafood industry were:
Inshore Fish Supplies, Macduff; Young’s Seafood Ltd, Fraserburgh, Whitelink Seafoods Ltd, Fraserburgh; Gourmet’s Choice Ltd, Portsoy; Lunar Freezing and Cold Storage, Peterhead; Caley Fisheries Ltd, Peterhead; Trawlpac Seafoods, Aberdeen; The Ashvale, Aberdeen;
Low’s Traditional Fish and Chips, Westhill; The Bay Fish and Chips, Stonehaven; International Fish Canners, Fraserburgh; Granite City Fish, Aberdeen
www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.


text:
Toronto-based e-commerce startup Emerge Commerce has announced plans to go public on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) following a planned acquisition of Aumento, a public capital pool company.
“We prefer profitable, steady growth, rather than ‘growth at all costs’, as unsexy as that may sound.”
Emerge has signed a letter of intent to acquire Aumento through a reverse takeover, and the proceeds will mostly go towards upcoming acquisitions as well as growth capital. A reverse takeover is the acquisition of a public company by a private company so that the private company can bypass the lengthy and complex process of going public.
As part of the letter of intent, Emerge is raising a $5 million private placement led by Canaccord Genuity and Gravitas, which is expected to close later this week. Emerge expects to complete its agreement with Aumento over the next month. The company also expects to receive TSXV approval to list within 30 to 60 days. CEO Ghassan Halazon claimed the definitive agreement with Aumento will give Emerge a pre-money valuation of $45 million CAD.
“We are in the fortunate position to take EMERGE public during these extraordinary times, in large part due to the strong performance of our COVID-resilient portfolio of e-commerce assets,” Halazon told BetaKit.
“E-commerce is seeing more growth over the last couple of months than it has over the last 10 years,” he added. “As an acquirer and operator of e-commerce assets, we believe going public will assist and accelerate our profitable [merger and acquisition] consolidation strategy.”
Founded in 2015, Emerge has developed an e-commerce network by acquiring and operating niche market leaders in the digital deals space across North America. The company operates in a variety of categories, including groceries, essentials, golf, online subscriptions, retailer coupons and experiences, among other categories.
“In the company’s first three years of existence, our primary focus was on acquiring distressed digital deals brands with proven e-commerce customer databases at very attractive prices, really pennies on the dollar,” said Halazon.
After consolidating companies in the small-to-mid-market e-commerce landscape, Halazon said its early success allowed Emerge to start acquiring niche market leaders in the broader digital deals and savings space that come with a “proven track record of growth and profitability.” It acquired UnderPar for $12 million in November.
To date, Emerge has largely relied on founders and entrepreneurs, family offices, and Bay Street executives to raise capital. It has worked closely with wealth management firm Gravitas as its banking partner. Clearbanc founder Michele Romanow is Emerge’s shareholder and serves as an advisor. CEO of Indochino, Drew Green, is Emerge’s chairman.
The company has intentionally avoided venture capital, Halazon said, partly because the team wanted to maintain a “straightforward cap table.”
“More importantly, we simply do not subscribe to the Silicon Valley driven ‘Scale or Die’ mantra, which is to say we prefer profitable, steady growth, rather than ‘growth at all costs’, as unsexy as that may sound,” the CEO told BetaKit.
Halazon noted how the COVID-19 pandemic has helped e-commerce reach new heights. Golf was one of the first sectors allowed to reopen in Canadian provinces as COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed, and Halazon told BetaKit that Emerge sold $100,000 in golf-related products on the day of the announcement.
“Online shopping has been a clear winner and Emerge has been fortunate enough to be in a position to draw on its diversified portfolio, quickly repurposing virtual shelves to match consumer demands,” said Halazon.
The CEO said the current plan is to complete another two acquisitions in 2020 with the plan of arriving at more than $10 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization over the next 12 to 18 months.
Image source Emerge Commerce.


text:
Posted by Stephanie Startz on October 8, 2009 07:11 AM
UK antitrust regulators oppose Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger. [NY Times]
Alcoa reports first profit in 9 months, lifts Asian and European markets. [NY Times]
With no new cars to promote until mid-2010, new Ford ads (aimed at policymakers) tout innovation. [LA Times]
As Versace abandons market, analysts signal the end of luxury in Japan. [Times of London]
Hermes thrives in a "booming" Chinese market; US market is "slightly positive." [Bloomberg]
Kraft renames iSnack2.0 Vegemite "Cheesybite" after complaints. [Bloomberg]
Music industry relies on brand partnerships to finance marketing campaigns. [Bloomberg]
(More headlines: Starbucks sues Dunkin' exec; Wendy's, Estee Lauder campaigns.)Continue reading...
Posted by Laura Fitch on September 1, 2009 11:25 AM
There's nothing like a good recession to make an e-commerce opportunist smile.
In today’s brutal economy, resourceful companies can skip building a name from scratch and just buy one. Linens 'N Things has become an experiment in rebranding a bricks-and-mortar store as an Internet-only presence. Gordon Brothers-Hilco have taken over the very publicly bankrupted home-and-bath business, its established brand and – not a minor thing – its database of five million e-mail addresses. Continue reading...


text:
It’s 28th August – time to start your business
What’s so special about August 28th? Simply, it’s the most popular day to start a business according to a new study by O2 Business.
We’ve delved through masses of data from Companies House and discovered some fascinating facts about start-ups. If you’re thinking about starting a new business, now’s the time.
- 4,794 new businesses were created on 28th August 2014, more than any other day that year.
- That figure is 185% more than the previous year, when the highest recorded figure in one day (2nd April) was 1,679.
- Looking back over several years we found an average 11% year-on-year increase in the number of UK start-ups since 2009, compared to 3% in the years before.
What does this mean for UK entrepreneurs?
Well it’s all very positive stuff. 2014 was a record year for entrepreneurialism with over half a million businesses being created, a leap of 54,600 from 2013.
Ben Dowd, O2 Business Director commented: “It’s encouraging to see whilst the number of new start-ups is returning to pre-recession levels, the UK has a very much thriving entrepreneur scene, with a record number of businesses starting in 2014”.
Another study, also carried out by O2 Business, shows that the UK has clearly been bitten by the business bug. 46% of Brits still want to build their own company rather than want to work for someone else.
Help is at hand
However, there is still some trepidation.
- 41% of budding entrepreneurs don’t feel they have sufficient funds to cover the start-up costs.
- 35% don’t know where to start when creating a business.
- Despite the growth of the technology industry in the UK, 61% of Brits aren’t confident that their grasp of modern business technology is solid enough to start a business.
Fear is inevitable but there are plenty of places to get sound advice and inspiration. For example Startups.co.uk is the UK’s leading independent, online resource for anyone starting and growing a business while www.greatbusiness.gov.uk is the Government website and helpline offering support, advice and inspiration for growing your business.
How O2 Business can help
If you’re an entrepreneur on the brink of a brilliant business, you may want to check out the range of products for growing businesses and start-ups offered by O2 Business including the first flexible tariff – Business Essentials, conference-calling app O2 Just Call Me and Microsoft Office 365, as well as the latest mobile devices and tablets. All O2 Business products come with support from the O2 Gurus team, who are on-hand to offer you advice through their start-up process.
“At O2 Business, we believe that technology shouldn’t be holding your business back”, says Ben Dowd. “We want to help more small businesses to grow and thrive in an increasingly digital Britain, and we believe a key step is taking the hassle out of technology. We see first-hand how the right technology can allow any company to run smarter, faster and more efficiently, ultimately helping that business grow.”


text:
The particular challenges of being an ecommerce business don't sound like they'd be compatible with driving positive climate action: complex logistic systems, long shipping routes, high return rates, and often a reliance on plastic packaging. That needn't be the full story. Here's why and how implementing the right combination of emission reduction interventions and offsetting options will become the industry's biggest strength. With the right strategy, online retailers can deliver on climate action while meeting consumer expectations, building customer loyalty.
Economic pressures are mounting and consumers' online shopping priorities are changing rapidly. Convenience is no longer king. Instead of being led by factors like delivery speed and location, consumers want value for money from their products, and plentiful choice and availability has made it easier than ever to select the savviest deal that best matches their preferences. Businesses that can cater to these expectations will be better positioned to succeed in today's market, providing products that speak to this established segment of climate-conscious consumers who are also watching their pockets.
It's even the case that the option to go green matters more than convenience to this consumer segment. According to Metapack's Delivery Conference, price-sensitive shoppers are overwhelmingly in favour of accepting longer delivery times (38%) and switching to 'out of home' collection (34%) over paying extra to offset emissions (where only 7% would consider this). Millennials are the age group most likely to buy sustainable products above other, less sustainable choices, with 27% having made “significant changes" to their purchasing behaviour in order to do better by the climate.
The secondhand market, on which previously owned products are resold, rented or thrifted, is also rapidly gaining momentum. Consumers want economical, sustainable alternatives to buying environmentally costly new products. As their finances become increasingly squeezed, it makes sense for these customers to prioritise resale options that offer a vital and viable alternative to investing in completely new versions of the items they need.
Online retailers need to be sensitive to these preferences. While resale options aren't necessarily a revenue driver, they represent a successful customer acquisition and loyalty strategy for your company, which should sit alongside a holistic sustainability vision.
Despite the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis, sustainability is high up on the agenda of consumer priorities: increasingly, it's what customers have in mind when they're making their purchase decisions.
Yet immediate strategic priorities seem to lie elsewhere for retailers. Although three-quarters of merchants recognise the importance of sustainability and of lowering the environmental impact of their deliveries, less than a fifth (18%) consider it a key strategic focus for their business.
This needs to change. Consumers today are putting 'value' over convenience because of a range of factors: they're more sensitive to price, yes, but they're also more aware of the climate impact of their purchases; they care more about health and wellness, they're more likely to value quality over quantity and they're more alert to increased competition within the market. As a business, it's crucial to match your offering to this consumer profile: online retailers that focus their customer journey around the opportunity to make a tangible climate impact will gain and retain their clients.
Here are some tips to get started today:
Understand how consumer goods companies are taking ambitious climate action.


text:
Egypt-Saudi Arabia trade hit $4.570 billion in 2021, up 41%
from $3.236 billion a year earlier.
Cairo- Sep 6, 2022
Minister of Trade and Industry
Ahmed Samir has received Saudi Ambassador in Cairo Osama bin Ahmed Nuqali to
discuss economic issues of common concern, in the presence of Ibrahim al-Seguiny,
assistant minister for economic affairs, and Yahya al-Wathiq Billah, head of
the Egyptian Commercial Service.
“The long-standing, strategic ties
binding Egypt and the Kingdom is a cornerstone for boosting mutual cooperation,”
Samir said, noting that Egypt is open for more Saudi capitals and fresh
partnerships in its various production and services sectors.
According to official figures, bilateral
trade hit $4.570 billion in 2021, up 41% from $3.236 billion a year earlier.


text:
By Steve Toloken, Plastics News Staff
Shanghai, China -- Johnson Controls Inc., a global automotive interior manufacturer, is forming a joint venture in the southern Chinese city of Changsha to supply interiors for an auto assembly plant being built there by Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. and Italy's Fiat Group Automobiles SpA.
The large JCI facility, which will include injection moulding machines of up to 800 tonnes, will manufacture the interiors for vehicles produced by the new GAC-Fiat joint venture, said John Moulton, group vice president and general manager in China for the Johnson Controls Automotive Experience unit.
"We basically have the entire interior, the IP, door panels, floor console, overhead console... the key interior components," said Moulton, speaking in a 22 April interview at the Auto Shanghai 2011 show. "And we have the seating as well."
Glendale, Wisconsin-based JCI plans a groundbreaking ceremony the week of 25 April, and Moulton said it will be a "sizable investment" not only for the facility but in training a workforce in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan province.
"There are not a lot of experienced automotive people in that area," he said. "We're going to have to hire the people and do a lot of training to build up the workforce there."
The JCI plant will employ 700. The GAC-Fiat auto assembly plant in Changsha is expected to start operating in mid-2012.


text:
Ant Financial, an affiliate of China’s Alibaba Group, plans to buy a 20 percent stake in Thailand’s Ascend Money, with an option to boost the holding further to 30 percent.
The initiative marks the latest attempt by Ant Financial to expand into Southeast Asia after it raised US$4.5 billion in funding, the Wall Street Journal noted.
Ant has said it wants to grow globally to allow Alipay’s more than 450 million customers to use its digital-payments app while traveling internationally.
“Ant Financial is dedicated to promote inclusive financial services in China and beyond and the pending investment reflects our commitment to expand internationally, and to bring equal access of financial services to more users around the world,” the Chinese firm said in statement Saturday.
Ascend Money is a newly established business unit of Ascend Group, which was established in early 2015 as a spinoff from True Corp., one of Thailand’s top three telecommunications operators.
Ascend Group’s businesses include e-commerce, electronic payments and digital marketing.
Besides Thailand, it has operations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines.
– Contact us at [email protected]


text:
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have not yet met commercial expectations from a decade ago, and now hot on its heels is graphene. Graphene is considered a hot candidate for applications such as computers, displays, photovoltaics, and flexible electronics. According to IDTechEx, the biggest opportunity for both materials is in printed and potentially printed electronics.
In a comparably short time a large amount of graphene materials have become commercially available contributing to further advancements and application development. At a fraction of the weight and cost of CNTs, graphene may displace carbon nanotubes and even Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) in some applications.
Displays and PV are Key Drivers
Flexible, see-through displays may be the one application that finally puts graphene into the commercial spotlight. Combined with other flexible, transparent electronic components being developed at Rice University and elsewhere, the breakthrough could lead to computers and solar cells that wrap around just about anything. IDTechEx predicts a market volume of over $25 billion in 2021 for OLED displays and PV alone, some of which will use graphene.
Graphene and its compounds are increasingly used to make transistors that show extremely good performance - a progress that comes with new cheaper production processes for the raw material. Transistors on the basis of graphene are considered to be potential successors for the some silicon components currently in use. Due to the fact that an electron can move faster through graphene than through silicon, the material shows potential to enable tetrahertz computing.
Promise for carbon nanotubes
On the other hand, carbon nanotubes are still a strong focus of research. They too are used for making transistors and are applied as conductive layers for the rapidly growing touch screen market. Still considered a viable replacement for ITO transparent conductors in some applications, CNTs are not out of the game yet. While the cost of carbon nanotubes was once prohibitive, it has been coming down in recent years as chemical companies build up manufacturing capacity.
However, there are still hurdles to overcome on both sides. For carbon nanotubes these are especially related to the separation issue and consistent growth. Without the latter, carbon nanotubes will probably never be used for high-volume electronic applications. Graphene, on the other hand, lacks the ability to act as a switch because it has no band gap. However, recent activities of several academic institutions show promise that this restraining issue will soon be solved.
Printed Electronics Market
Nevertheless, a very important result from both sides for the printed electronics market are printable CNT inks and graphene-based inks that are beginning to hit the market.
The upcoming Printed Electronics & Photovoltaics USA conference & exhibition, which will take place in Santa Clara on November 30 and December 1, will cover all this and more in great detail.
Dr Narayan Hosmane from Northern Illinois University will tell us how he almost by accident produced high-yields of graphene instead of the expected single-wall carbon nanotubes by using the Dry-Ice Method. Synthetic methodologies for producing graphene on large quantities will be the topic of his presentation.
On the applications side, Kate Duncan from CERDEC, the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, will go into detail about direct write approaches to nanoscale electronics.
Polymer solar cells have made significant progress in the past few years. Prof Yang Yang, head of the Yang Group at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), will give a brief summary on the state-of-the-art status on this and UCLA developments with G-CNTs, a hybrid graphene-carbon nanotube material.
US company Vorbeck Materials Inc. says that products using their patented graphene based electronic ink will appear in major retail stores sometime this year. Dr Sanjay Monie, Technology Development Manager, will give the latest R&D news on the Vor-ink™ line of conductive inks and coatings for the printed electronics industry, the world's first graphene-based commercial products.
Stephen Turner, Brewer Science, will talk about Aromatic Hydrocarbon Functionalization of carbon nanotubes for conductive applications, "a new functionalization path that affords high concentration dispersions without destroying the electronic properties of the nanotube," as he puts it. CNTRENE® carbon nanotube solutions is only one of the innovative materials developed at Brewer Science for applications in semiconductors, advanced packaging/3-D ICs, MEMS, displays, LEDs, and printed electronics.
And of course, applications of carbon nanotubes will be among the topics: Only recently, SouthWest Natnotechnologies (SWeNT) received a two-year, $500,000 Oklahoma Research Grant to commercialize printed TFTs using semiconducting inks, based on its single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) technology in collaboration with Panasonic Boston Lab (PBL). Dr Philip Wallis, Director of Operations at SWeNT, the leading SWCNT producer in the U.S., will tell us more about their proprietary V2V™ ink technology and how they fabricate and test the TFT devices to assure the necessary performance is demonstrated.
And last, but not least, CNT field emission will be the topic of Dr Jamie Nova's talk, Director of Operations at Applied Nanotech (ANI). The company offers a wide range of other metallic inks and pastes. At the 2010 show Applied Nanotech announced the introduction of one of the most suitable potential replacements for coated substrates - EXCLUCENT™, substrates on flexible transparent PET utilizing copper-based metallic mesh.


text:
American’s love affair with chocolate, which expanded by 1.8% in 2020 to reach $18.92bn, according to Statista, saw Fairtrade cocoa sales volumes top other commodities and grow by 27% over the year, resulting in almost $3m in Fairtrade Premium payments for cocoa farmers.
New business commitments complement long-standing partnerships that continue to drive significant impact for cocoa farmers. Fairtrade’s 10-year collaboration with Mars, for example, has generated around $8.5m in Premium, supporting 17,000 farmers to invest in their organisations and increase their earnings.
In the UK, total sales of Fairtrade products in retail outgrew total grocery, increasing by 13.6% to reach over £1bn in the food and drink market, according to Kantar (April 2021). Fairtrade cocoa sales volumes topped other commodities and grow by 3% over the year, generating an outstanding £6 million in Fairtrade Premium payments for cocoa farmers.
Shoppers’ ethical priorities cover a range of social and environmental commitments. When asked what issues are most motivating for people when choosing what to buy, ensuring no child labour was the top issue, followed by safe products, reducing poverty for farmers and workers, and protecting against deforestation. 64% of those who recognised the Fairtrade label said they were willing to pay more for a product to ensure producers are paid a fair price.
In the Netherlands, Fairtrade cocoa continued to experience strong growth of 16% in 2020. As a result, Fairtrade farmers received approximately $3.1m in Fairtrade Premium for cocoa beans sold to the Dutch market.
Across the border in Belgium, sales of Fairtrade certified cocoa products grew by 35% in 2020, according to its annual report.
Globescan research said 53% of people used their buying power to make a positive difference on an issue they care about over the past year. Many chose to put more Fairtrade items into shopping baskets over an alternative.
Its research encompassing 15 markets worldwide reveals that more people than ever before want to take personal action to live sustainably and buy more responsibly. The research reported that over half (57%) consumers globally pledged to shop at stores or visit a cafe with a strong Fairtrade commitment. This data echoes a boom in Fairtrade sales in many countries in 2020 outside of the study, showing that consumer intentions are translating into action at the shelf.
Peter d’Angremond, CEO of Fairtrade Netherlands, said: “Fairtrade is big business now worldwide, especially when it comes to chocolate and confectionery, and firms are increasingly investing in their cocoa supply chains. Many brands and retailers have declared new commitments in the past year.”
Committed Fairtrade retailers in the UK such as Co-op and Waitrose, who converted entire categories to using Fairtrade cocoa, continue to drive positive change for Fairtrade cocoa farmers.
Louisa Cox, Fairtrade’s Director of Impact, said: “The upward trends in increased consumer demand for sustainability-driven purchasing seem likely to continue to shape the business of chocolate. Legislation that requires companies to ensure human rights are respected in supply chains is gathering force, including in the European Union. Supporting the creation of robust legislation – recognising living income as a human right – is another avenue for citizens to make their voice heard. At the same time, shoppers voting with their wallets is a very strong signal that can deliver real change for farmers.
“Fairtrade is calling for legislation designed to put farmer and worker interests first, and which pushes business to invest in improvements, rather than simply avoiding problems.”


text:
Dealers who want to keep customers coming through the doors and inventory flowing should focus on used-car models with prices that decreased or minimally increased during the past year.
An iSeeCars analysis of 1.8 million used-car sales found trucks and sports cars have the most negligible price differences between July 2021 and July 2022. Four of the vehicles are from Nissan (Armada, Titan, Titan XD) and its luxury brand Infiniti (QX60).
Other used cars that have become more affordable include the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang, Ford F-150, Volvo S90, Honda Ridgeline and Toyota Tundra (see chart, below).
iSeeCars analyst Karl Brauer calls such decreases unprecedented in the last 18 months. "It looks like we are gaining some stabilization," he says. "I don't think demand is dropping, but there are economic concerns."
Brauer says concerns about interest rates, a possible recession and more stringent loan requirements primarily impact lower-income shoppers. Those shoppers seeking vehicles may decide to buy from dealers who sell lower-priced used cars.
July 2022 marked an overall 10.9% increase in used-car prices, up from the 10.5% increase in average used-car prices in June 2022. The latest bump in prices marks the second month of slight increases fueled by alternative-fuel vehicles, primarily hybrid and electric cars. Most buyers of those models have high incomes and strong credit scores.
The Nissan LEAF has the highest price increase, up 43.8% compared with July 2021. That model was once the quickest-depreciating car on the market. Rising gas prices and the increased range of the 2018 model contributed to the increase, Brauer says.
Interest in the Tesla Model S waned in recent months as consumers gravitated to the Model 3 and Model X SUV. The long wait times for the newest version of the Model S, with a March 2023 estimated delivery date, brought shoppers to the used models, Brauer says. The average price increased 27.3% between July 2021 and July 2022.
Although dealers seek in-demand, higher-priced used-car models that boost their profits, Brauer suggests dealers that want to maintain shopper traffic and inventory turnover should seek value-priced models. Plus, it opens new revenue streams in service and parts for underserved shoppers, he adds.
"Those cars perhaps don't have quite the profit margin (of more in-demand models), but they would allow me to cater to lower-income people to maintain a high profit margin," Brauer says. "If you can get one of the lower-priced models for a good deal, you can probably still flip it because people say, 'I was not going to buy it, but that vehicle is so cheap compared to other models I've seen, I'll buy it.’"


text:
Until recently, sous vide was a cooking method not often found — or even mentioned — outside of professional kitchens.
The technique, which involves cooking food slowly through a low temperature water bath, was out of reach for even the geekiest of chefs, because the necessary equipment was expensive and difficult to find.
Now Nomiku, the company behind one of the first home sous vide appliances, is back with a completely redesigned device that is smaller, more efficient and wifi-enabled.
The second generation Nomiku heats water faster and attaches to the front of just about any pot. With their sophomore product, the creators say they are emphasizing making sous vide accessible to home chefs of any level.
"We want to bring tech into the kitchen," founder Lisa Fetterman told Mashable.
To facilitate this, the company is releasing a companion app called Tender. The app will function as a hub where users can share and remix recipes and crowd source cooking tips and tricks. When users find a recipe they want to make, the app will automatically set the appropriate time and temperature on the Nomiku.
As with their first launch, the company is turning to Kickstarter to fund the initial production. And, as with their previous effort which raised nearly $600,000, the current campaign is already a hit with backers.
Just one day into their Kickstarter, the company raised more than $300,000. As of this writing, backers have pledged more than $400,000 — with three weeks left to go. Fetterman said that many of the early backers this time around were those who had backed the previous project, which just finished shipping earlier this year, nearly two years after the campaign was first funded. As is the case with many hardware startups on Kickstarter, unexpected problems in the manufacturing process delayed the production.
Those same issues, which cropped up during the initial phase of the manufacturing process in China, won't happen this time around, she says, since the company is completing all of its prototyping and manufacturing in the United States.
Fetterman's team hope it might inspire other makers to bring their manufacturing back to the U.S, which, she says, has turned out to be a cheaper place to prototype and work out early kinks in the design.
The company anticipates their latest product, which costs $149 during the Kickstarter campaign, will ship to backers in March 2015.


text:
Volkswagen is reaping the rewards of plunging resources into the EV market after it was revealed the all-electric ID.3 has brought in around 70,000 new customers.
The German brand says it has received about 144,000 orders for the ID.3 across Europe, the electric family car that went on sale in 2019.
Of those, just under 50 per cent are new to the brand, meaning that the switch to electric vehicles is attracting people who hadn’t bought into Volkswagen before.
The figure is well above the average number of new customers models usually bring in, which currently sits at 36 per cent.
Volkswagen says it surveyed ID.3 owners in Germany to get an idea of what attracted them to the vehicle.
The top reason was its environmental performance for 60 per cent of respondents, with innovative technology just behind with 51 per cent.
Furthermore, 80 per cent said the ID.3 was the vehicle they used the most in their household, while 70 per cent said they charge with green energy, either by using an energy supplier that makes that commitment or by using their own solar panels.
Klaus Zellmer, board member for sales, marketing and after sales at Volkswagen, said: ‘The ID.3 has tapped into an above-average number of new buyer groups for Volkswagen.
‘Some 70,000 new customers are strong proof that we are exactly on the right track with this vehicle and our electric mobility strategy.’
Volkswagen has set a goal to have 70 per cent of its vehicle sales to be electric vehicles by 2030, which will equate to over one million EVs.
It is believed North America and China will account for around half of these sales, with production beginning at a new factory in China ahead of the car going on sale there later this year.


text:
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) — Cisco Networks Inc. shares fell Wednesday evening in the wake of a price run-up and a mixed forecast from the networking gear maker, and Whole Foods Inc. shares dropped after some disappointing figures from the upscale grocer.
Cisco shares CSCO, +1.14% fell 1.8% to $20.78, giving up earlier gains. On a conference call with analysts late Wednesday, Cisco said it expects revenue in the current period to grow between 4% to 6% from the same period last year. Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting, on average, growth of 6.3% for the fiscal third quarter.
Cisco also forecast third-quarter adjusted earnings of 48 cents to 50 cents a share, in line with Wall Street’s projection of 49 cents a share.
For its fiscal second quarter, Cisco said adjusted earnings were 51 cents a share, better than the FactSet consensus estimate of 48 cents a share. Sales rose 5% to $12.1 billion compared with expectations of $12.07 billion.
Ahead of the latest financial results, Cisco shares had climbed 25% since the company’s fiscal first-quarter report was released in November. Read more about Cisco's results, forecasts.
Whole Foods shares US:WFM slumped 6.1% at $90.95, but were off their worst levels of the late session. The drop came as the company’s 7.2% increase in fiscal first-quarter same-store sales missed analyst expectations, and as Whole Foods projected lower gross margin in fiscal 2013.
Earnings at Whole Foods for its fiscal first quarter were 78 cents a share, a penny a share above Wall Street’s consensus call. More on Whole Foods's Q1 report.
Shares of Weight Watchers International Inc. WTW, +1.32% suffered, losing 16% at $45.60 after the weight-management services company projected 2013 per-share earnings of $3.50 and $4. The forecast is below the current estimate from Thomson Reuters of $4.75 a share in earnings. See: Weight Watchers Q4 profit falls, issues weak 2013 view.
But shares of Angie’s List Inc. ANGI, +0.89% soared, rallying 21% to $16.48 after the company, whose members write reviews of local service providers, swung to a fourth-quarter profit. It also issued a first-quarter outlook that surpassed analyst expectations. See: Angie's List reports upbeat results.
Before the evening session, the S&P 500 Index SPX, +1.04% rose less than 1 point to 1,520.33. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.99% fell 36 points, or 0.3%, to end at 13,982.91, giving up earlier gains, while the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +1.64% picked up 0.3% at 3,196.88. More on Tuesday's action in U.S. stocks.


text:
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has announced the launch of its latest Android device, but it will not sell the phone through traditional carriers in Australia.
Samsung will launch its hotly anticipated Galaxy Note II Android phone in Australia "next week" through Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, but no contract pricing or plan details have been revealed yet.
Google has exhausted initial stocks of its Nexus 4 Android smartphone less than an hour after the device went on sale yesterday.
Australia's largest telco, Telstra, has stressed that its brand is strong enough to sell smartphones following the decision to release its own-branded device as the first 4G prepaid smartphone in Australia.
Vodafone has become the first Australian telco to announce pricing, plans and availability details for Samsung's hotly-anticipated Galaxy Nexus Android phone.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei today launched its Vision Android phone in Australia. The company claims the Vision is its "most stylish and advanced smartphone to date" and will be sold exclusively through Allphones and Optus.
Motorola has unveiled a new version of its iconic RAZR mobile phone -- simply called the Motorola RAZR -- and will exclusively partner with Optus for its Australian launch.
Samsung Australia has confirmed it is expecting to launch its Galaxy Note Android smartphone in Australia in "early 2012".
LG has announced that its latest Android smartphone -- the Optimus Black -- will be available in Australia through all three major carriers: Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone.
Summer is just around the corner, which means it's time for device manufacturers to release their high-profile Android devices all at the same time to pre-empt the iPhone 5 hype machine.
Samsung has announced that its latest Galaxy Ace Android phone is now available exclusively through Telstra in Australia.
Motorola and Telstra last night jointly unveiled the eagerly-anticipated Motorola Xoom Android tablet, and the Motorola Atrix Android phone, confirming the devices will be available in Australia from 24 May and 7 June, respectively.
Optus has announced pricing details for the HTC Incredible S Android smartphone, which will be available exclusively through the telco for three months when it launches in Australia on 1 May.
HTC has announced that its Incredible S Android smartphone will be available exclusively through Optus for three months when it launches in Australia on 1 May.
HTC will announce the launch of its Incredible S Android smartphone next Wednesday night after the Taiwanese manufacturer sent a 'briefing and product demonstration' invitation to the media this morning.
Linksys AC5400 MU-MIMO Gigabit router
Microsoft L5V-00027 Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard Desktop
UE Boom 2 Bluetooth speaker
Smart LED Bulb LB130
Samsung portable 1TB T3 drive
Epson EcoTank Expression ET-2500
Everki ContemPRO Roll Top Laptop Backpack
Lexar® JumpDrive® S57 USB 3.0 flash drive
Epson WorkForce ET-4550
Acer Swift 7
Google Daydream VR headset
Lexar® JumpDrive® S45 USB 3.0 flash drive
Epson WorkForce DS-360W
Huawei Mate 9
Belkin MIXIT Metallic Lightning to USB Cable
3SIXT Ultra HD Sports Action Camera
Logitech G403 Prodigy mouse
Lexar® Portable SSD
Blade 28 backpack by Arc’teryx
Surface Pro 4
Garmin Fenix Chronos smartwatch
Audio-Technica ATH-ANC70 Noise Cancelling Headphones
Dell XPS 13 laptop
Lexar® JumpDrive® C20c USB Type-C flash drive
Dell Inspiron 5000 series 2-in-1
HP Pavilion x360 13”
Lexar® Professional 1800x microSDHC™/microSDXC™ UHS-II cards
HD Pan/Tilt Wi-Fi Camera with Night Vision NC450
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Subaru XV 2017 review
- 2 Gigabyte Aorus GA-AX370-Gaming 5 AMD Ryzen AM4 motherboard review
- 3 Kogan curved 4K UHD 55-inch LED LCD TV review
- 4 Panasonic Blu-ray recorder PVR set-top box review
- 5 Garmin Fenix Chronos fitness tracker smartwatch review
Join the Good Gear Guide newsletter!
Latest News Articles
- AMD preps for Ryzen 5's launch with a helpful AM4 motherboard update
- Windows 10 Creators Update: The 5 biggest changes
- Missing pieces: What Microsoft failed to deliver in the Windows 10 Creators Update
- Here's proof that Ryzen can benefit from optimized game code
- LG G6 phone: full, in-depth review
PCW Evaluation Team
A smarter way to print for busy small business owners, combining speedy printing with scanning and copying, making it easier to produce high quality documents and images at a touch of a button.
I've had a multifunction printer in the office going on 10 years now. It was a neat bit of kit back in the day -- print, copy, scan, fax -- when printing over WiFi felt a bit like magic. It’s seen better days though and an upgrade’s well overdue. This HP OfficeJet Pro 8730 looks like it ticks all the same boxes: print, copy, scan, and fax. (Really? Does anyone fax anything any more? I guess it's good to know the facility’s there, just in case.) Printing over WiFi is more-or- less standard these days.
As a freelance writer who is always on the go, I like my technology to be both efficient and effective so I can do my job well. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8730 Inkjet Printer ticks all the boxes in terms of form factor, performance and user interface.
I’d happily recommend this touchscreen laptop and Windows 10 as a great way to get serious work done at a desk or on the road.
Ultimately, I think the Windows 10 environment is excellent for me as it caters for so many different uses. The inclusion of the Xbox app is also great for when you need some downtime too!
For me, the Xbox Play Anywhere is a great new feature as it allows you to play your current Xbox games with higher resolutions and better graphics without forking out extra cash for another copy. Although available titles are still scarce, but I’m sure it will grow in time.
- LG G6 phone: full, in-depth review
- Subaru XV 2017 review
- Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 phone: Full, in-depth review
- Which flagship TV is best? Sony 4K HDR Bravia 2016 versus LG 4K HDR OLED 2016
- 10 Blu-ray movies / Best looking Blu-ray movies
- FTSocial Media ExecutiveNSW
- CCSenior Full Stack Web Developer - Port MacquarieNSW
- CCWintel Systems EngineerQLD
- FTSystems AdministratorNSW
- FTSenior Contract Administrator (construction)ACT
- CCFullstack .Net DeveloperNSW
- FTHadoop Service AdministratorVIC
- CCInfosphere ConsultantACT
- FTSenior Systems EngineerNSW
- FTBusiness Improvement ManagerNSW
- FTSecurity ArchitectWA
- FTLinux System AdminstratorQLD
- CCSenior Project Manager - Applications - Data ReportingNSW
- CCDevops Consultant - 12 month contractVIC
- CCDesktop Engineer (Level 2 &3 )- Tomago LocationNSW
- FTGIS Software DeveloperQLD
- CCBusiness AnalystNSW
- CCPerformance TesterQLD
- FTBusiness Consultant - HR / PayrollWA
- FTProject Support | $32 phVIC
- TPTest AnalystNSW
- FTInfrastructure ArchitectVIC
- TPProject Manager - Digital Banking ProjectQLD
- FTRACF Mainframe Security Analysts / Engineers - Multiple Roles - SydneyNSW


text:
Start the conversation
That's because most analysts think of Campbell the same way they think of many other consumer staples businesses – as a stable, slow moving business with no real short-term catalyst for growth.
You see, very few remember the tremendous upside that Warren Buffet realized when he invested in another "dull" staples business, The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO), just prior to a major overseas expansion.And it's precisely that kind of campaign Campbell has mounted – expanding its businesses in Russia, China, and other emerging economies to great success.
As investors, we too have been rewarded. CPB's stock is up 22% since my original recommendation, and had actually risen as high as 35% before some consolidation.
Indeed, it's important to remember that Campbell's foreign expansion brings significant benefits in an era of volatile exchange rates.Currently, the company's sales concentration in the United States exposes it negatively to weakness in the U.S. dollar. And because the dollar has been on a downward trajectory for most of the year, the exchange rate has negatively impacted Campbell's earnings.
Still, the company's market dominance and superior brand loyalty allowed it to overcome this liability. Now, the recent strength of the U.S. dollar will put the wind at Campbell's back. But not for too long, since CPB's international diversification will eventually bring the company into a currency-neutral environment. Russia and China will drive this effort.
Russia, the largest per capita consumer of soups in the world, is likely to grow some 5% next year. And Campbell's deal with Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co. SA to distribute its soups in 100 more cities in Russia – which began in August – is likely to deliver a very nice outperformance for Campbell's when the company reports earnings on Feb. 22. The cold Russian winter will do its trick abroad, while the tough economic situation in the United States will continue to drive sales at home.
China's growth also is expected to outperform its government's 8% target for next year, thanks in part to the increasing urbanization of its population. The same is happening in most emerging economies.
Indeed, with just 30% of the company's sales coming from abroad, Campbell is only beginning to penetrate markets where the consumption of soup and other packaged foods is accelerating. We are looking at the just the beginning in terms of growth potential for this company.
Meanwhile, Campbell is quickly adapting to the maturing U.S. baby-boomer population with more low-sodium and reduced-fat products. Expanding its 70% market share in soup products in the United States will be difficult, but this commanding position translates into 25% operating margins for the company's soup business, which is about half of its sales. This is a mammoth margin in the food industry and greatly helps Campbell's cashflow.
Campbell is a keeper from a fundamental standpoint, but what about the valuation and technicals?
While CPB's forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 13 is attractive, analysts are not factoring enough growth into it, and therefore their price-to-earnings-to growth (PEG) ratio appears to be artificially high.Despite adverse currency effects, Campbell's conservative management lead the company to beat earnings estimates in November, improve profit margins and raise both sales and earnings guidance, validating my views. Campbell's gross margins are an astounding 40%, and it's likely to keep surprising to the upside in both sales growth and margin expansion.
Finally, the stock consolidated right to the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA) on some profit-taking driven by the fiscal year's end, which was Aug. 2. That makes the stock oversold today, sitting on strong support and ripe for a re-initiation of its rally in the coming year as portfolio managers and traders look for companies with superior cash flow and a dominant position in the market that are expanding internationally and executing well in the bottom line.
So, stay on board Campbell Soup for the long run.
Recommendation: Buy Campbell Soup Co (NYSE: CPB) at market (**).
(**) – Special Note of Disclosure: Horacio Marquez holds no interest Campbell Soup Co.
[Editor's Note: Success as an investor isn't based on what's hot today.
It's really based on the anticipation of what will be hot tomorrow.
Gold is one of the hot commodities of today. But the shrewdest investors will look toward the horizon, and try to project just what the commodity profit plays of the future will be.
If you need help, just ask Money Morning's Horacio Marquez.
As worries about oil escalate – whether those worries are about future supplies, future prices or global-warming – more and more muscle is being placed behind alternative power technologies. That's especially true in the hybrid vehicle market, where a specific technology has emerged as the clear leader.
The technology is lithium-based rechargeable batteries, and its emergence is sending lithium demand skyrocketing.
The profit potential of this market is stunning – but only for investors who can figure out the right way to play it.
Here's the thing: Marquez – a Money Morning contributing editor who also edits the Money Map VIP Trader – has uncovered the lithium-tech leader. This company is a global player with a solid market cap and is well known within the hybrid industry. But surprisingly few investors know about the company, or have ever even heard its name.
To learn more about this company – to get in ahead of the masses – and to find out more about Marquez's Money Map VIP Trader, please click here.]
News and Related Story Links:
- Money Morning:
Buy, Sell or Hold: Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) Looks to Profit From its Recent Overseas Expansion.
- Campbell Soup Company:
Exponential Moving Average – EMA.


text:
Everybody loves Aldi, whether they’re wowing with the weird and wacky – think hot cross bun stuffing or parma violets glitter gin – or going big with affordable pizza ovens and outdoor hot-tubs.
However, as many super fans of Aldi will know, a Sunday shop at the popular store can take some time as customers flock to whip up their latest deals and Specialbuy offers.
So, in order to speed up the process, Aldi are trialling self service checkout tills in the UK.
The machines are up and running in one store in Glascote in Tamworth, Staffordshire, but if successful Aldi says they could be rolled out in more of their branches.
Richard Thornton, Aldi's communications director, said: "We are focused on giving our customers a quick and simple experience in our stores."
He added: "We think these new checkouts will help further improve that experience and we are looking forward to seeing how customers respond to this extra option at our Glascote store."
The news comes following another trail by Aldi.
Earlier in the year the supermarket launched the first ever Aldi Local in the UK.
The smaller store is located in Balham, London, and has a new branding to help shoppers distinguish between smaller city stores and conventional sized Aldis.
To see Aldi’s Easter opening times, click here.


text:
Japanese Banking Heavyweight Nomura to Launch Crypto-Focused Venture Capital Arm – Finance Bitcoin News
On Wednesday, the Japanese financial holding company and principal member of the Nomura Group, Nomura Holdings, announced the launch of a crypto-focused venture capital unit called Laser Digital Holdings. Nomura’s move follows a number of financial giants entering the cryptocurrency industry this year.
Nomura Introduces Laser Digital Holdings
The investment banking giant from Japan, Nomura Holdings, is stepping into the world of crypto assets and in the coming months the new venture will reveal a slew of “new services and product lines.” Nomura is one of the largest investment banks in Japan and one of the oldest in the country. The investment company established itself 97 years ago in Osaka in 1925 as Nomura Securities.
The new Laser Digital Holdings is a Switzerland-incorporated holding company that aims to establish three vertical product offerings including secondary trading, venture capital, and investor products. The new venture will be led by Jez Mohideen as CEO and Steven Ashley as Laser Digital’s chairman. Switzerland was chosen for the country’s established and “robust regulatory regime,” Nomura’s press release discloses.
“Staying at the forefront of digital innovation is a key priority for Nomura,” the investment bank’s president and CEO Kentaro Okuda remarked on Wednesday. “This is why, alongside our efforts to diversify our business, we announced earlier this year that Nomura would be setting up a new subsidiary focused [on] digital assets.”
Nomura’s latest offering follows Nasdaq’s new crypto custody venture announced on Tuesday. Furthermore, before Nomura and Nasdaq’s announcements, Fidelity Digital Assets, Citadel Securities, and Charles Schwab Corp. announced a collaborative effort with plans to launch a crypto exchange that will deal with both retail and institutional clients. The three financial companies are calling the exchange EDX Markets (EDXM), and former Citadel Securities executive Jamil Nazarali was named the trading platform’s CEO.
The Japanese financial giant Nomura detailed on Wednesday that the first product Laser Digital plans to drop is a venture capital (VC) unit called Laser Venture Capital. “[The new unit] will invest in companies in the digital ecosystem, with a focus on decentralized finance (defi), centralized finance (cefi), Web3, and blockchain infrastructure,” Nomura’s press announcement concludes.
What do you think about Nomura Holdings stepping into the world of crypto assets? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, Editorial photo credit: VTT Studio / Shutterstock.com
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.


text:
14 APRIL 2021
Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marine Corporation (EMC) has announced plans to build twenty containerships of 15,000 TEU capacity each.
The order was approved by the Board of Directors of Greencompass Marine SA, a Panamanian subsidiary of EMC.
A handful of shipyards from China, Korea, and Japan have been shortlisted to receive the contracts, including Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, Jiangnan Shipyard, Imabari Shipbuilding, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Hyundai Heavy Industries.
The vessels are anticipated to cost between $115 million and $130 million each for a total value of up to $2.6 billion.
Evergreen Line is the world’s seventh-largest ocean carrier with 1.3 million TEU capacity representing over 5% of the global share. The new build order will add 300,000 TEU capacity to its fleet assuming all twenty ships are built.


text:
Holisol, a Delhi-based tech-enabled end-to-end supply chain solutions company, on Monday, announced the launch of ‘Verdis Visibility’ – an end-to-end visibility platform that helps companies to performance of their supply chain processes in real-time. The launch of Verdis Visibility follows the launch of the other modules of the VERDIS platform (Holisol’s AI and ML-driven supply chain solutions system) which includes PPC (production planning and control) and DAP (dispatch allocation planning).
An official statement from Holisol mentioned that the Verdis Visibility platform has been developed under a strategic partnership with Cogneau Systems. , now under a strategic partnership with Cogneau systems launches ‘Verdis Visibility’.
“Holisol’s strategic partnership with Cogneau Systems, an AI product venture, has enabled its supply chain expertise to be combined with the power of Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Data Science. Their combination has made Verdis a powerful source of intelligence for solving supply chain problems.”~ Holisol said in a statement
Verdis Visibility provides complete end-to-end visibility of supply chain processes in terms of the key parameters relevant to the organisation. The integrated flow of material and information is captured and easily available in the ‘Dashboards’, in real-time, automated and online manner, enabling monitoring, analysis and quick decision making in the complex supply chains of today.
“Verdis takes a deep dive into the organisation’s wide data (structured and unstructured) to connect the variables and identify a pattern to build the opportunity intelligence to realize its full potential.”~ Rahul S Dogar, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Holisol Logistics.
Verdis Visibility also offers personalised dashboards that are customisable as well as accessible as per roles. Along with Big Data capabilities, Artificial Intelligence technology provides users with the flexibility to chat with Verdis in non-system environments, such as meeting rooms, or through their emails, and get answers to performance queries conveniently in business-friendly formats.
“Verdis Visibility has the potential to help complex supply chains deliver on the critical objectives of inventory cost-saving and prevention of sales losses. Industry-wide results have confirmed that improving visibility helps to reduce the inventory cost by up to 30% and sales losses by up to 25%.”~ Sunil Mehta, CEO, Cogneau Systems Pvt Ltd


text:
Dogecoin has taken the world by storm and has become one of the leading cryptocurrencies in the market. What started as a joke by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer in 2013 slowly grew as more and more people started investing more in the idea of altcoins. Markus dissuaded himself from Dogecoin in 2015, selling and giving it away. The internet’s enthusiasm to try and make it the next Bitcoin has been nothing short of astounding and Dogecoin’s journey to becoming the top dog (pun intended) in the Cryptocurrency market has been documented widely by sites like Business Insider, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journey.
Dogecoin’s Strong Supporters Do The Unthinkable
People who have traded in Dogecoin have used different marketing stunts to attract attention and help establish it in mainstream markets. For example, its supporters organized a crowdfunding campaign to assist the Jamaican Bobsleigh team in travel to the Winter Olympics in 2014 and, most famously, sponsored a racecar in 2014. These viral moments have lived on in infamy on the internet and are a powerful reminder that the cryptocurrency market results from grassroots movements.
Elon Musk On Doge
Dogecoin’s exploded in 2021, after Elon Musk tweeted his support of it, calling it the people’s Crypto. Its value has been skyrocketing, with its value reaching $40 billion in 2021. Unlike Bitcoin, which has a finite amount of coins that can be mined, Dogecoin has an unlimited supply that can be mined. It may be hard to take seriously, but more influential figures are taking notice and investing heavily. Celebrities like Mark Cuban, Snoop Dogg, and Gene Simmons have openly endorsed Dogecoin, with Cuban stating in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres that his team, NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, would be accepting Dogecoin payment for their merchandise.
The Rise Of The Underdog
Ranked seventh in the cryptocurrency rankings as of the start of 2021, it was listed at 40 cents at its peak with its market cap over $42 billion. It’s amazing to think that a single token was valued at US$0.00026 in December 2013, which shows that it managed a rise of over 1500 percent in approximately seven years. There is massive potential in Dogecoin, and with an infinite number of coins that can be mined, it can only keep growing as long as consumers and corporations show the same enthusiasm.
Dogecoin may have been conceived as a joke, but it’s anything but at its current stock value. The plethora of supporters is a stark reminder that it’s here to stay. However like any other cryptocurrency this is an enitrely new market where competition is stiff and technological advancements are made on a daily basis. For the time being Dogecoin looks like a goldmine however, these things tend to change overnight. Will Dogecoin topple Bitcoin, unlikely but only time will tell.
This is not investment advice nor is it meant to be any sort of financial advice. It is an opinion made by the author.


text:
Annoying Mosquito: Anti-Teen Sonic Device Arrives in US
Almost 1,000 units of the device, called the Mosquito, have been sold in the United States and Canada after the product debuted last year, according to Daniel Santell, the North America importer of the device sold under the company name Kids Be Gone.
The high-frequency sound has been likened to fingernails dragged across a chalkboard or a pesky mosquito buzzing in your ear. It can be heard by most people in their teens and early 20s who still have sensitive hair cells in their inner ears. Whether you can hear the noise depends on how much your hearing has deteriorated: How loud you blast your iPod, for example, could affect your ability to detect it.
"It's horrible, loud and irritating," said Eddie Holder, 15, who sprinted from his apartment for school one morning covering one ear with his hand to block out the noise. The device was installed outside the building to drive away loiterers. "I have to hurry out of the building because it's so annoying. It's this screeching sound that you have to get away from or it will drive you crazy."
The device has roiled civil liberties groups in countries where it's in use, including England, Australia and Scotland. England's government-appointed Children's Commission proposed a ban. That group describes it as a weapon that infringes on the basic rights of young people and claims that it could have unknown long-term health effects.
I say "supposedly" because I'm not sure that mobile phones' tinny speakers could adequately transmit such a frequency; even still, the teens have pulled off an even larger coup: making teachers believe that there are inaudible ringtones permeating their classrooms. Good for them, I say, as they grow up in a world of CCTV and audio crowd-control devices.
(I was pointed to the CNN story via boingboing)


text:
The Clifton on Ocean Road in South Shields has won a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award for the second year running – with the first being awarded last year for their support of key workers during the third Covid-19 lockdown.
The Travellers’ Choice Award recognises businesses that earn consistently positive reviews, with winners being among the top 10% of listings on the Tripadvisor website.
The venue is one of the most popular businesses in South Shields, the hotel and coffee shop has seen a wave of investment in recent years with owners Scott and Liz Carlucci buying the neighbouring property in 2020 to create new rooms for the staycation market.
Liz has told the Gazette how she felt when she found out that The Clifton had won the award again and reflected on how difficult the past few years have been.
She said: “We were ecstatic when we found out that we had won again, we have had a hard couple of years so it is lovely to see our customers continue to appreciate the work that we do.
"It was nice to win it last year on the back of all the work we did supporting NHS staff and key workers during the lockdown however this one is even better given that we have been open for customer reviews.
"Since we won it a couple of weeks ago, customers have been telling us that it is well deserved which is lovely as it is their feedback which has won us this.”
Liz also hopes that the award will help to motivate all of the staff to continue to deliver their high standards and improve the business even further.
She added: “We are always looking to improve the quality of our product and our customer service – quality is our headline.
"Winning the award has been great motivation for our staff, we have employed quite a few new people over the last year so for them to see their work recognised like this is great.
"It has been a fantastic experience for them to win it and long may it continue.”


text:
Released two years ago in Japan, the PC version of Lunar: Silver Star Story had been announced for domestic release by Working Designs. However, it was announced today that the localization has been cancelled. According to Working Designs' official website, "The main problem was that a version of the software that was stable enough to meet our standards could not be delivered to us." Consequently, the special premium item created for the occasion, the Alex puppet, will not be produced after all.
However, as revealed a few weeks ago, the PlayStation version of Lunar will be re-released in late January at the price of $35. No special goods or extras this time, although the game will feature new disc art by a fan artist.
Readers interested in playing Lunar on their computer can still import the Japanese version, released at the low price of 2980 yen (about $22).


text:
The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) have announced that sales of newly built, single-family homes in November 2021 hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 744,000. This total comes in at 12.4% above the revised October rate of 662,000, but is 14% below November 2020’s estimate of 865,000.
"New home sales advanced for the third consecutive month in November, as still-low mortgage rates motivated buyers to close before the winter holidays,” said Realtor.com Manager of Economic Research, George Ratiu. “However, October’s sales figures were revised downward, indicating slower-than-expected activity. A total of 744,000 new homes sold during the month, a 12.4% increase from the downwardly-revised October figure, driven by double-digit gains in the Northeast and West.”
HUD and the Census Bureau announced that the median sales price of new houses sold in November 2021 was reported to average $416,900 nationwide, with the average sales price nearly $65,000 higher at $481,700.
“The record-level new-home prices may be pricing out some buyers,” said First American Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi. “In November 2020, 33% of new-home sales were priced below $300,000. A year later, in November 2021, only 14% of new-home sales were priced below $300,000. Demand for new homes remains strong, but construction costs and prices have increased.”
The price of lumber and materials continues to impact the price of new construction, as National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman Chuck Fowke, a custom home builder based in Tampa, Fla., noted, “builders are still grappling with major supply chain issues and soaring materials costs, which are causing construction delays.”
Ratiu added, “The cost of lumber rose from $573 at the start of November, to $825 per thousand board feet by the end of the month, and moved into the $1,100s per thousand board feet in December, following the Commerce Department’s announcement that it will double the import duties on Canadian softwood in 2022.”
The change in policy is not only driving up construction costs and raising prices across the board, but are impacting the nation’s housing supply, as the seasonally‐adjusted estimate of for sale inventory for new homes for sale at the end of November was 402,000. This total represents a supply of 6.5-months at the current sales rate.
Market volatility from the Omicron variant is forcing mortgage rates downward, as the latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) from Freddie Mac reports rates dropping to 3.05% for the week ending December 23, 2021.
“Borrowing costs remain low, demographic-fueled demand is strong and existing-home inventory remains near record lows, making a new home an attractive option,” said Kushi. “Yet higher construction costs (labor, lumber, materials) are being passed on to buyers, resulting in higher new-home prices.”


text:
Faris Lee Investments has partnered with X Team Retail Advisors, a retail advisory and brokerage network comprised of member firms in 40 North American markets.
The partnership aligns Irvine, CA-based Faris Lee with a platform covering most major U.S. and Canadian markets for sharing client and property level intelligence and local market knowledge.
X Team's North American footprint comprised of more than 250 professionals at 36 member firms distinguishes the network as one of the largest and most comprehensive retail real estate service organizations in the U.S., noted Faris Lee Investments President and CEO Rick Chichester.
Faris Lee leadership, which has cumulatively been involved in more than $20 billion of transactions, is among the most well-recognized firms in the U.S. dedicated to retail property investment advisory, analysis and brokerage, noted Dave Cheatham, president of Phoenix-based Velocity Retail Group and president of X Team.
The California firm will both contribute to and benefit from X Team's local market expertise and international reach in retail leasing and investment sales.
"By adding Faris Lee, we are further broadening the expertise that we can provide to our clients," Cheatham added.


text:
Will Friday the 13th be the first game to allow PS4 and Xbox One owners to play together?
Read on to get the lowdown on all the new releases, including our picks for the most exciting games out this week.
Stay up to date on all the biggest gaming releases of this year, 2017, and beyond.
You can get the benefits of an Xbox Live Gold membership, plus access to Minecraft, without paying a cent.
Dead Island 2 is still in development at Sumo Digital, according to Deep Silver.
Outlast 2 players will have an easier time on normal difficulty following a recent update.
Bethesda's lawyers are apparently hunting down any game with "prey" in the title.


text:
LittleBigPlanet: Karting custom courses have been revealed by Sony.
More than 350 levels were created on a daily basis by LittleBigPlanet: Karting beta testers, of whom there were 125,000.
Sony released a selection of the best levels on the PlayStation blog, showcasing traditional racing circuits, complete with power-ups, loops and springboards.
Beta testing began on July 10 and ended this past week. More videos can be found on the game's official website.
The LittleBigPlanet spinoff is said to feature similar gameplay mechanics to United Front Games' ModNation Racers.
The biggest differences can be found in its creation mode, which allows users to create entirely new weapons, tinker with the opposition AI and craft new game modes.
One level (below), for example, features a user-controlled helicopter which can be used to shoot targets.
The Sackboy-themed Karting game was outed at a Destination PlayStation Event earlier this year.
It was officially unveiled by Sony in March, and is thought to be Move-enabled and support 3D visuals.


text:
One of every five beauty purchases online is made via the Amazon marketplace, according to a new report.
L18, which operates a members-only wine and food site, has raised $13 million since 2010.
L18 Holdings Inc., which operates a members-only site that matches up producers with consumers who want to buy wine and gourmet food, has received a nearly $1 million investment from the founders of Diapers.com. In total, L18 has raised $13 million since its founding in 2010.
The latest investment came from Marc Lore and Vinit Bharara, who founded Diapers.com parent Quidsi Inc. Diapers.com is No. 72 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide. Amazon.com Inc., No. 1 in the Top 500 Guide, in April completed its $500 million acquisition of Quidsi, which also operates Wag.com and Soap.com.
Operational for nine months, Lot18.com has 400,000 members and 80 employees. The new funding will enable the e-retailer to expand its sales of wine and to expand into related products.
“Lot18 has a unique offering, an attractive user experience, broad appeal and excellent growth potential,” says Lore. “The American wine market is worth billions, but online sales currently account for only a small percentage of the total. Vinit and I are excited to be a part of a company that realizes this through providing an engaging customer experience.”


text:
78% of of e-commerce websites in the UK are unable to convert shoppers due to their inability to “understand” natural language and thus, shoppers’ intent, according to a new report from Klevu.
This found that over three quarters of the 50 retailers researched delivered zero or irrelevant results when presented with conversational queries.
Only 20% have the functionality to understand natural language and respond with products that were a precise match.
Furthermore, a quarter were unable to handle misspellings by shoppers, with 75% missing out on additional sales through relevant product recommendations on category listing pages. Did you know that 44% of ecommerce websites in North America are losing revenue from not being able to understand simple typos in search?
Want to find out about other � stats from a recent industry study? Stop by booth #1616 during #RICE22 to learn more. pic.twitter.com/W2ZNB9KVeM — Klevu (@KlevuAI) April 28, 2022 Grenson Shoes received the highest rating for best product discovery experience across all benchmarking criteria.
The heritage footwear brand allows consumers to navigate easily using multiple clauses, natural language, and even spelling mistakes. It makes relevant product recommendations and allows consumers to pinpoint the exact product they are searching for quickly.
Complicated search queries are on the rise today as more consumers rely on voice search on mobile, which means that e-commerce retailers must be able to comprehend natural language and shoppers’ intent if they want to satisfy consumers.
However, most e-commerce sites are unequipped for this, resulting in customers leaving unhappy and empty handed.“It’s clear that major retailers need to work harder to ensure that their e-commerce experience meets consumers’ expectations,” says Nilay Oza, CEO and Co-Founder at Klevu .“As the e-commerce market in the UK continues to become more competitive and inflation causes consumers to tighten spending, the e-commerce sites that are […]
I am a robot. This article is curated from another source (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). For the complete article please use the link provided to visit the original source or author. Content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
Warning: The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MichelPaquin.com.